this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2023
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Home Automation

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Home automation is the residential extension of building automation.

It is automation of the home, housework or household activity.

Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.

Warning: Working with electricity can result in injury, property damage, or even death if it is not done properly. Please keep this in mind while assisting others. If you are not sure about what you are doing, hire a licensed professional.

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Our original 1990’s Honeywell Thermostat is circling the drain. Looking to replace with a new smart thermostat. Here is what it looks like with the cover off. Doable for a mid DIY guy like me or not?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

If you have the C wire that others have mentioned and you liked your Honeywell... I have had a couple of the TH9320WF5003 for about 10 years and they are great. I had one of the Lyric T5s as well, but like the 9320 so much better. Nice screen, nice app and integrates well into Home Assistant.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Doable, make a note of where the wires connect, unscrew them and unscrew it off the wall. Hopefully you have a little slack for something new.

You need to understand what voltage if any is coming from the wall. That will impact your replacement choices. Smart wall stats generally expect power.

I put a Moes Zigbee stat on last year which is connected to three wires (live neutral switched).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

What makes you think that thermostat is going to fail? It's about as simple a device as you can imagine and doesn't really have any parts that wear out.

Do you really need a smart thermostat, or just something programmable? A programmable thermostat works for most people, unless you have schedules that vary wildly week to week you probably won't see much if any benefit from a "smart" stat.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Toss it and get an ECHOBEE

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Even if you don't have a C wire, you can use an external power brick to power the smart thermostat in place of a C wire. Otherwise at least the Honeywell thermostats come with a C-wire adapter than can be wired into your furnace control box and shifts some of the wires around to provide a C wire. I found the external power brick to be a little less daunting, but either option should work for you.